Drabbles of the Heart
by Star-Shaped-X
Summary: xDarknessAngelx's 100 Themes of Various Couples Challenge: 350-word drabbles of ever-changing couples. Individual ratings for each drabble. No consecutive story.
1. My Friends Are My Power

I admit, I'm not a majorly romantic kind of a guy, but the idea of trying to make this challenge work sounded awesome to me. :3 I'm looking at it more as a writing exercise than anything else. I haven't filled in all one hundred slots yet, so requests are welcome. Check out xDarknessAngelx's challenge for a full list of rules and perhaps to try it yourself. :)

Prompt: (20) Heart  
Pairing: VenSor; can be read as gen  
Setting: KH3  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 349

* * *

"Ventus, right?"

The young boy turned to face Sora as he approached him. "That's right. You can call me Ven," he offered, grinning.

"Right," Sora mumbled. _He looks like Roxas, is named Ventus, goes by Ven . . ._ Sora scratched his cheek apologetically as he realized he was staring. "Sorry, it's just, we haven't really had a chance to talk alone since you uh . . . got here." Sora chuckled, still somewhat nervous about bringing up the subject of Ventu—_Ven_ having been inside his heart. But the other boy didn't appear offended, so he continued. "What, uh . . . How did you get there, exactly? Have we met?"

Ven looked upwards for a moment, reflecting, before he replied. "I was dying. You took me in so I wouldn't fade away." Something in the back of Sora's memory twinged, but he couldn't quite recall what it was. "I think . . . My heart found you because yours had found me once. I remember—the 'brand new heart' that joined with mine." Ven's contemplative look shifted into a smile. "I couldn't still be here otherwise."

Sora fell momentarily silent, a small frown lining his face. ". . . I wasn't alive when I was born." Ven's opened his mouth to speak, concerned, but Sora continued before the other boy could form any words. "I've never told anyone before," he confessed. "It took seven minutes for my heart to start beating. My mom used to call me her miracle baby. But I guess, my heart was just a little late meeting my body."

"I'm sorry, Sora," Ven sighed, shoulders hunched, but Sora shook his head and grinned at him.

"When my mom was pregnant, the doctors warned her my heart was weak, and that I wouldn't live very long, if I even made it at all. But from day one of living, it beat stronger than any other kids' on the islands. The doctors couldn't figure out why." Sora took Ven's hand in his. "You saved me, Ven. Thank you."

Ven smiled. "You saved me, too."

* * *

I do not like this pairing. XP But I like the idea of the first half of the convo and decided this would be a good place to put it. I still had fun. :)

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	2. I Can Tell There's Something More

Title: I Look At You and Zack and I Can Tell There's Something More  
Prompt: (57) Sweet  
Pairing: ZaQua  
Setting: BBS; alternate ending where Wayfinder trio wins  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 349

* * *

_"How about one date?"_

Aqua shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and walked through the empty vestibule. She could hear clangs and clashes coming from the other side. No, she couldn't have accepted the request. She had responsibilities then.

"Aqua!" Three heads turned her way the moment she entered the arena—one of them belonging to the raven-haired boy she hadn't been able to stop thinking about since she'd decided to return to this world. Zack ran up to her, not inebriated by his armor, and wearing the same smile he'd had back then. Aqua could almost swear he'd grown a bit. "It's great to see you again," he exclaimed. "I was hoping you would come back."

"Zack, I . . ." Aqua shifted her gaze down and fidgeted with her left wrist. For all her bravery on the battlefield, she'd never asked anyone on a date before. "I think we shoul—"

"It's okay," Zack stopped her. He had a look on his face, something that almost appeared sad on him, but there was something else to the expression. "I haven't stopped entering The Games since you left, but . . . well I'm no hero yet."

Aqua realized the look was humility.

"Just wait though," he said, a grin of determination overtaking the humbleness as he swung his arms and bent his knees to keep his body from winding itself away from training mode. "One day I'll make it there, and then you'll have to give me a shot!"

Staring at that smile he wore so proudly, Aqua wanted nothing more than to tell him she didn't care how strong he was—that she'd come here because she changed her mind . . . but that was a lie. He was right—they still had other responsibilities, and she needed to look for Hades and get rid of him before he set the darkness loose again. Aqua was a Keyblade Master, and as long as darkness threatened the worlds, taking care of it was her first priority.

_Maybe someday, Zack._

* * *

There was originally more to this, but it went over the word limit. Oh well. XP

I flippin' _love_ this pairing. X3 It's one of my favorites. Aqua and Zack are just so cute together . . . I had to write it. :D

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	3. It's More Than Just a Fairy Tale

Prompt: (91) Fantasy  
Setting: Legend  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 211

* * *

Once upon a time, the world that had for so long lived in harmony with the light became threatened by darkness. The people blamed their each other for the darkness' creation. War broke out as the people unwittingly fed the darkness their anger; the fighting led only to tragedy, and that they fed to the darkness too. Soon, the darkness overtook the world.

The light, however, refused to give up. It continued to shine in the hearts of children. They struggled through the darkness, each alone and unable to see a way out. The light fought bravely, but as time wore on even the children began to succumb to hopelessness. Slowly, one-by-one, the darkness swallowed them as well from this lonely world, until only two remained.

Yet all was not lost. These two continued to search, and found each other's light breaking through their own darkness. They embraced each other, and when their hearts touched the light within grew, strengthened by the love the children shared. The light rebuilt the lost world as best it could, and although it was not complete, it was not alone either.

One day, the time will come when two more step forward to complete the world, and restore what the darkness took.

* * *

Written as sort of a past-life SoKai, though the last line probably alludes more to SoRiku. Eh, whatever—I'm sure you guys just see OC's anyway. XP I'm not big on any of those pairings so I don't care.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	4. Don't Be Selfish

Prompt: (86) Confusion  
Pairing: AkuShi  
Setting: AU apocalypse  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 346

* * *

Xion stared, eyes wide and heart sinking. "What are you . . . saying?"

The red-haired man gave a deep, guilty sigh, averting his gaze. "I'm sorry, Xion, but this could never work between us. I'm not . . ."

Axel had found her, alone, almost a year ago. He protected her and taught her how to fight. For all they knew, they were the only people left. Anywhere. So last night, Axel brought up the subject they had long been avoiding. He was a male. She was a female. There were certain courses of action they need to take for the race to keep going.

Xion agreed—she had long since fallen for Axel, and she thought the repopulation idea was Axel's shy way of admitting he felt the same. Xion was a virgin, but Axel was gentle. She fell asleep in his arms after they finished. Not since this ordeal had begun had she been given such wonderful dreams.

But in the morning, when she tried to continue the affection with little snuggles and kisses and holding his hand, Axel refused to take any part in it.

"You're not _what_, Axel?" Xion demanded.

He sighed again, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Look, I'm not into girls, okay?"

Xion lowered her eyes away from him. She felt her body grew stiff as the words sank in. "So . . ." Her shoulders clenched, tension spreading down her arms. "So . . . so in a couple of years, when I'm a woman, we—"

"You know that's not what I mean."

Xion nodded, focused on not letting any tears reach her eyes.

Axel placed his hands on her shoulders. "We're trying to save the world, remember? We talked about this. It wasn't supposed to be . . . anything more than that."

"Mm." Xion gave him a hard look and removed his hands. "Well you and I may have talked about this, Axel, but I don't think we had the same conversation." Swiftly, she turned and walked away, to find someplace she could be alone for a while.

* * *

Another one I had to cut down considerably. Sigh. Curse you, word limit!

Inspired by the fact that AkuShi is ridiculously cute but I will never ever be able to see Axel as not gay. :/

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	5. Have You Ever Cooperated With Anything?

Prompt: (75) Lie  
Pairing: Seiner  
Setting: AU; can be read as canonverse  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 348

* * *

Hayner and Seifer fought. Constantly. Everyone knew that. It was commonplace for even the earliest risers to arrive at the schoolyard and see the two already beginning an argument, and it never took long to escalate. Poor parenting, the onlookers blamed; Hayner's father had taken up drinking after his wife died, and Seifer's parents were gone so often the kid had basically raised himself. In a small town like this, those details are everyone's business, so everyone knew.

Everyone also knew that Seifer was the one who came out on top. Even if someone was able to intervene before the fight reached a conclusive finish, Hayner would always walk away with a large bruise, or a noticeable limp, or even a broken wrist. Only two groups of people were in denial over these victories: Hayner's friends, who were always there for him with words of encouragement; and Seifer's friends, who took notice to the emotional strain he carried with him after every fight.

Most of the town had forgotten that Hayner and Seifer had been best friends up until a few years ago. Few bothered to remember the times when the worst arguments the two boys shared were over the rules of a game or who should get the last snack. No one knew that, behind the pretense of being enemies they put on for the world to see, there were still times they managed to meet away from everyone else, when they would share a touch not at all like the punches they let others witness. No one knew that, despite the fury behind every fist Hayner threw and the sarcastic sheen that accompanied each of Seifer's insults, the relationship between the two had moved into something completely different from friendship behind closed doors.

And no one would ever know. Because it was hard enough to keep secrets in this town. Because alcohol was able to warp depression into anger, anger into violence. Because Hayner had injuries to cover up, and Seifer was the only one who knew the reason why.

* * *

The title is meant more to refer to Seifer's reaction to the quote than to the quote itself. XP For those who remember. These two sure make for an interesting pairing . . .

I only had to trim around 30 words this time. :3 I'm getting better at this limit. The romance itself, not so much. XD But that's okay—I've got ninety-five more drabbles to practice with.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	6. I Swear It On This

Prompt: (76) Memories  
Pairing: ReNamiku; can be read as gen  
Setting: Repliku's memory  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 349

* * *

"Naminé!" Riku ran past the treeline and rushed to her side. She was sitting on the sand, curled up with her thin arms wrapped around her legs, shoulders shaking as she sobbed. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

Naminé shook her head quickly, scattering a few tears in spite of the way she clenched her eyes shut. "I'm scared," she murmured, her voice soft but clear despite her sobs and heavy breathing. "The sky . . ."

Riku looked up to see streaks of light dashing above them in the night sky. _A meteor shower?_ He hadn't noticed it since he was beneath the trees before hearing her cry. Did Naminé not know what it was? Maybe she thought the sky was breaking.

"Don't worry," Riku assured her. He dropped his sword and crouched down in front of her to pull her hands away from her knees, gripping them firmly to make sure she knew she was secure. "The sky does that sometimes," he explained. "It's just falling stars."

Naminé did not look reassured though. She looked away and pulled her hands away from Riku's, making little fists as she tried to keep herself from tearing up again. Tentatively, she opened her mouth and asked, "But what . . . What if those stars fall and land on this beach? What if they hit me?"

Riku stood, grabbed the wooden weapon, and pointed it up at the sky, envisioning every short-lived line of light as an enemy. "They can't hit you," he spoke confidently. "If any star—or anything—tries to come near you, I'll bat it away. I'll stand by you all night, Naminé. Or your whole life if the storm lasts that long. You'll see. I won't ever let you get hurt."

He glanced over to see she was looking up at him with wide eyes, her small mouth open in amazement. A sincere smile spread across Riku's face as he saw the fear she'd held was gone, and in response to that smile Naminé's face lit up as well.

* * *

You have no idea how much it bothers me using Riku's name for him. -_-

I was entirely too inspired for this one. I wrote over a thousand words, even though I could tell it was way too long for the word limit. I couldn't help it—I just love this pairing so much. I'm thinking about expanding the longer version even more into a one-shot about Repliku's feelings for Naminé and how they change over the course of his existence, but we'll see.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	7. I Only Want You To Be Happy

Prompt: (81) Shadow  
Pairing: Malefiku  
Setting: KH1 Hollow Bastion  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 347

* * *

Riku's hips drove fervently into Maleficent. He had her pressed up against the castle walls, one hand on either side, using the flat surface for support. Both of them were breathing heavily, but trying to hide it, too prideful to show the other they were tiring. Riku used quick and powerful thrusts to make up for the height difference he was struggling with.

The friction was exhilarating. The only thought occupying Riku's pleasure-filled mind was how long he'd missed out by not initiating this activity with any of the girls back on the islands. The tight grip around him now was enough to dissuade any regrets though; and he would be sure to make up for lost time in the future.

The tension he'd felt building up inside him since they began was threatening to burst away, but Riku wasn't going to let this end yet. Instead he let the energy release in the form of darkness, smothering the already dimly lit room in wisps of near-tangible shadows.

Maleficent put her own sorcery to work too, pushing off Riku's darkness to levitate both bodies in the air. Riku took advantage of the flight to lean forward over Maleficent and push in fully.

The new angle and depth broke Maleficent's silence, and Riku heard a few breathy moans escape her lips. His own panting soon got louder too. He still felt too good to stop and once again he transferred the sensation into darkness, completely filling the area around them, but this time it could only do so much for his body. Riku was close and knew it.

Maleficent's hands shot up as she summoned fire from the ground below them. Riku stared past her, enthralled by the eerie glow from the green flame as it quickly grew to equal their height. The flames licked at Riku's skin, not touching long enough to burn but shooting tendrils of green at him in short spurts just to serve as the jolt of adrenaline that finally pushed him over.

* * *

Lemons were not meant to be drabbles. :/ Still, I'm pretty proud of what I got here, considering the length.

I love the idea of Maleficent being the one Riku loses his virginity to. XP Don't know why. I always have. I wouldn't call this a favorite pairing of mine, but I do like it and find it to be extremely underappreciated in the fandom.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	8. It's the Same When I Watch the Sea

Prompt: (43) Water  
Pairing: KaiShi  
Setting: AU  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 250

* * *

"Kairi, knock it off," Xion laughed as her girlfriend continued to splash water in her face.

"Or what?" Kairi challenged, but Xion had no response so Kairi flipped onto her back and kicked her feet repeatedly to send a torrent water at her.

Xion ducked underwater to avoid the spray and swam into Kairi's legs to knock her off-balance. Kairi caught herself as she fell backwards, her hands sinking into the soft beach sand, and she giggled some more as Xion crawled on top of her.

Kairi reached up to run her fingers through Xion's hair and began to lean in to kiss her, but a loud pop broke their attention and both girls jerked their heads towards the sky. A few sparks of light twinkled above them before they fell into nothingness, but were quickly renewed as another stream shot into the sky, exploding with a second crack and a colorful shower.

"Looks like the show's starting," Kairi commented. Xion smiled and hummed an agreement.

Another one went off and Kairi turned to watch the light show reflecting in Xion's eyes instead. It was definitely a better view.

"So." Kairi turned Xion's head away from the fireworks as well, moving closer to try the kiss again. "Where were we?"

Xion raised an eyebrow just slightly and spit a stream of ocean water in Kairi's face.

"Ahh! It went up my nose!" Kairi sputtered while Xion quickly swam away, laughing all the while.

* * *

Wow, has it really been more than a month since I updated this? Gah, I have no attention span for romance. XD

KaiShi's cute, huh? And it's about time I put some fluff in this piece. Happy Independence Day, to everyone! :D Or to America at least. Eh, to whoever feels like celebrating it. XP

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	9. It'll Only Take a Sec

Prompt: (96) Kiss  
Pairing: Lea/Isa  
Setting: Pre-BBS  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 350

* * *

"Does it work that way?" Isa asked.

Lea's eyes scanned the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean . . . yeah, I think so."

"You do realize that any other friend would drop you for asking this?"

A wide grin shot across Lea's face. "But you'd miss me too much. That's why I asked you."

"You asked me because you don't have anything other friends," Isa corrected.

Lea's palms were starting to sweat, but he didn't let his grin falter. "I really need to know."

Isa closed his eyes and crossed his arms, his back still as straight as it had been since they began this conversation.

Lea took a chance and stepped forward, hiding his hands in his pockets. "You know I won't quit begging until you say yes," he coerced with a forced chuckle. Whether or not it was a bluff, Lea wasn't entirely sure himself.

"Fine," Isa gave in. "One kiss." He opened his eyes to look directly into his friend's with a cold gaze that only Lea could tell was false anger. "And you don't get to brag about it to anyone after."

_"Even if it's just you and me?"_ Lea thought, but he decided to play it safe and just mumbled, "Sure thing."

The kiss was short—open-mouthed, but no tongue. Even without touching him Lea could feel how tense Isa was. He knew his own posture would be just as stiff if he wasn't the one leaning over.

"So . . ." Isa spoke after Lea pulled away. Lea noticed the smallest waver in his voice. ". . . Are you?"

"Hard to say," Lea confessed. "I think it may have ruined it just because it was you."

One corner of Isa's mouth twitched at that. "I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or offended."

Lea gave another cheeky smile and said, "You should feel honored that I decided to grace you with my breathtaking kissing skills."

"You're insufferable," Isa muttered, but the small smile did not leave his face.

* * *

I still can't decide if I like this pairing or not. XP But for now it serves as my contribution for AkuSai Day.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	10. Please Help the King

Prompt: (90) Magic  
Pairing: Mickey/Minnie  
Setting: Post-CoM  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 346

* * *

"You're a king back in your world, so you must have a country to run right?" Riku let out a small chuckle. "I remember back home when I was little, I would pretend I was king of an island we used to play on. I don't think I'd want to be king anymore though. I might not be able to handle the responsibility."

Mickey's body sagged guiltily. "I guess I can't handle it myself either," he confessed. A quizzical look crossed Riku's face, so Mickey elaborated. "When I met you in the realm of darkness, I'd been away from home for a while. Gosh, it must have been at least a year by now. And this isn't exactly the first time I, er . . . 'ran away' either."

"Then you must have a brother or someone to runs things while you're gone?" Riku guessed.

"Minnie." A bright smile lit up Mickey's face when he said her name, but it reluctantly drooped soon afterward. "I . . . really miss her."

"I see," Riku said. "It must be really hard when you have to say goodbye, huh?"

"I . . . I couldn't even this time." Mickey kept his eyes trained on the ground. "Knowing where I was going, I . . . Welp, I wasn't sure if I'd be comin' back."

Riku nodded again. He'd had a similar experience himself recently. The thought of the castle gave him an idea though. "Mickey, remember when you were able to send some of your power to help me fight off Ansem? Maybe you could use that to talk to . . ."

The slow shaking of Mickey's head caused Riku to trail off, though a small smile began to return to the king's face at the hopeful thought. "That magic is one I can only use in a reaction to danger. I would love to activate it to visit, but . . ."

A long pause overtook them before Riku spoke up again. ". . . Well, at least you know she's safe."

Mickey laughed happily at that. "You're right!"

* * *

Originally this was going to be a lonely theme about Mickey missing Minnie during his KH1 journies in the realm of darkness, but in the end my love of the Riku-Mickey friendship moved it over here. And I know I'm technically supposed to be on hiatus right now, but this idea was stuck in my head today and I already had the script written so I really just needed to add the narrative and I decide okay why not. XP

Every time I watch that kiss in the KH2 credits I want to see more Mickey/Minnie canon content. Perhaps in KH3. :3

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	11. You Two Sure Flew Through Your Mission

Prompt: (40) Fly

Pairing: AkuRoku Day  
Setting: Day 195, Never Land  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 207

* * *

Flying was not at all like what Axel had imagined it would be. First of all, he didn't have to work for it like a bird did. This "sparkly dust" that Roxas got from his tiny friend did all the effort for them. Once he got off the ground, he barely even had to think about it. That was definitely a bonus.

But then there was the other thing. Axel had always imagined floating to come with a soft, relaxing sensation; and that zipping through the air would be a powerful rush. Instead his stomach was doing flips like he used to feel as a kid when Radiant Garden set up the summer fair and he rode the tall, spinning rides. A memory of fear, he supposed. Or perhaps just motion sickness. It was hard to tell.

Roxas didn't seem to have that problem at all. The boy was flying ahead with a cute smile plastered on his face, dipping his gloved hands in the ocean water and even doing loop-de-loops in the air or circling around the rock spires.

. . . Wait, had he just thought of Roxas as cute?

Maybe Axel's stomach was doing flips out of memory of a different feeling.

* * *

This was a lot more interacting between the two of them when I thought it up, but I decided it was turning out too similar to my KaiShi one and changed it to an Axel monologue. Eh.

It's still AkuRoku anyway. Gotta love that. :3 Happy AkuRoku Day, everyone! :D (Or at least, everyone who's a fan of the pairing.) Oh, and title quote comes from Xion since it's not just 8/13 but also 8/13/14 and I have zero AkuRokuShi ideas. ^^; But I had to include her somehow. I love Xion.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	12. You Would Be One Who Has a Heart

Prompt: (2) Caring  
Pairing: MarLar  
Requested By: TheDarkestZero  
Setting: Pre-Days  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 350

* * *

Larxene hadn't forgotten how to care.

Not that caring had been a trait she was known for. Just last week everyone she'd known called her a heartless bitch, whether behind her back or to her face. But now she lived with eleven others who were heartless too, simply on a different level.

So much for that science they'd taught her in school.

It didn't take Larxene long to denounce the heart bullshit. Sure, she played along with The Superior's little game, but she knew emotions when she felt them. Her laughter was anything but forced when she tripped that wimpy guy in the castle's hallways. The bubbling in her stomach when the egotistic scientist one-upped her in an argument was too real to pass as a memory of frustration. And being the only girl around elicited a number of kinky daydreams from her.

"So, I hear you're a regular pansy."

And that was how she met Marluxia.

It was his hair that attracted him to her. She'd always had a thing for flamboyant guys. Larxene soon discovered he was anything but feminine, however. Marluxia had strength; the sort of strength that commands others to do what he wants without him ever speaking an order. He was ruthless, and she found herself mocking anyone who pictured him a gardener after seeing what he did to those plants behind closed doors. And when they found themselves in her bedroom, Marluxia proved himself more man than any she'd ever had.

But what really pulled Larxene in was his ambition, that night he confided in her his plans to take over the Organization. He wanted to grab his heart with his own hands, and the power to choose who he thought was worthy of having theirs back. And of course she would have her part of the ploy too. These blind idiots, they were running around looking for hearts so they could find emotions she already had. They would be easy to trick.

After all, she already had one of them under her thumb.

* * *

This was fun. :3 It's been a while since I really read into either of these two's characters. Thank to TheDarkestZero for being my first requester! :D

I used to ship the two all the time. The pairing has always seemed natural to me. It's been a while though. Feels good to be back into it.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	13. What's Wrong?

Prompt: (88) Door  
Pairing: RepliVani  
Setting: AU; club bathroom  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 350

* * *

Watching this raven-haired, hot piece of ass ride my dick in the totally secure privacy of the bar's bathroom had not been my plan tonight. I wasn't arguing though.

"Ngh." My hands tightened around the linoleum. The guy (who's name I couldn't remember) straightened up a bit, changing the pressure on my dick (which felt damn spectacular) as well as giving me an even better view of the way he slid his hand over his own. "Yeah . . ." I muttered my approval.

He responded by increasing his speed. Holy _fuck_, this was easily the best lay of my life. I swear, being this sexy does not happen naturally. He practices somehow. Or maybe incubi are real. Hadn't his name sounded something like 'incubus'? I still couldn't remember.

"Fuck," I moaned when I felt him clench around me. His hand moved faster and a couple strings of cum shot onto my chest. He didn't even try to aim away from me, but I felt so good that I couldn't even care.

He stopped moving as he came off his high. Deciding it was my turn, I began to push my hips up.

And he pulled off.

"Hey," I objected. My voice came out a bit more breathless sounding than I wanted it to. Or maybe it was just slurred from the alcohol. I couldn't tell.

He bent down, and for a couple exciting seconds I thought he was going to blow me, but when he stood again I saw he'd just been pulling up his jeans. He was joking, right?

He opened the stall. "What the fuck?" I demanded. "I got you off, now it's my turn."

He still had that same devilish look. "_I _got me off," he declared. "You just kicked back and went along for the ride. Take care of yourself." And then he moved out of sight, not even bothering to shut the stall door.

I grit my teeth and slammed it shut, locking it and leaning back as I stroked myself.

_What a goddamn asshole._

* * *

I still went way over the limit with this. :/ Though I think most of what I cut out was filler anyway, since I went for the odd combination of lemon and humor (that and, I'm a bit ramblish when trying to write drunk people). Also, first-person point of view because _Repliku needs a frickin' name._

I know it's total crack, but I can't help but be attracted to this pairing. I would like to write something with actual substance for it some day, but we'll see.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	14. Daisy, I'm Back!

Prompt: (10) Safe  
Pairing: Donald/Daisy  
Requested By: TheDarkestZero  
Setting: Post-KH3  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 350

* * *

"So where's Donald?" Daisy demanded.

Sora pointed at the castle. "He took off as soon as we landed."

"I think he was looking for ya," Goofy added.

Daisy stuck her hands on her hips. "So now he doesn't expect me to greet him?"

"That's not what I meant," Goofy amended, but Daisy left their confused faces in the dust, stomping across the courtyard faster than was appropriate for a person of her stature.

She muttered under her breath as she passed through the large doors. It figured he'd leave her alone for so long and not even be there when he got back . . . if that made sense. "Donald!" she shouted down the hallways, her high voice echoing off the walls. "If you don't answer me, I . . . I'll—"

"I'm in here, Daisy!"

Daisy gasped at the voice that rang down from the stairway that led to their wing, then immediately ran towards it. It was Donald all right—there was no mistaking his unique articulation. "Donald! You'd better have a good explanation for—Oh!" She stopped when she reached the doorway to their bedroom.

He stood there, holding a bundle of flowers out to her. The bouquet was large, but it was a hodgepodge with no plant the same. And it was . . . flat?

Slowly, Daisy reached out and took the odd present. "Donald, what is this?"

"I picked a flower for you from every world I went to," he told her. "Well, every world that had a flower, anyway. I had to press them though, so they wouldn't wilt. I hope that's oka—Wak!"

Daisy smashed into him with a strong hug, careful not to cause damage to the fragile gift. "Oh, Donald, you . . . you big lug!" Daisy squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Daisy . . . " They embraced in silence for a while, before Donald said, "I know I'm really late this time, but whaddaya say we go on that date now?"

Daisy pulled away to look at him through her wet eyes. "That sounds wonderful."

* * *

My first instinct with this pairing was of course _Pomp and Circumstance_, but TheDarkestZero specifically requested that this one be lighthearted so I decided that wasn't the way to go. I kind of surprised myself when I put it in Daisy's point of view (I don't know her nearly as well as I do Donald) but I like what came out of it.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	15. Needs to Keep Believing

Edit 10/16/14: An extended version of this drabble can be found as a oneshot by visiting my profile. I recommend reading that instead.

* * *

Title: Thank You, for Teaching Terra He Needs to Keep Believing  
Prompt: (8) Music  
Pairing: Terrella Day  
Requested By: mystic moogle  
Setting: Castle of Dreams  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 348

* * *

"Thank you, Terra," Cinderella commended after they entered the ballroom. He bowed to her, offering his hand, which she took with a soft laugh and a small curtsy. They walked forward and began to join in the waltz.

Cinderella's face lit up as they moved along the music, drawing a grin from Terra in return. "It looks like you finally made it to the ball," he observed.

"Only because you were there," she said.

"That's not true," Terra objected. "I didn't see it when I first met you, but you have a powerful light within you. It's one that can't be put out so easily."

Cinderella's eyes moved away, into the pulsating crowd of strangers. "Under the moon's glow or the castle's chandelier, this dress sparkles. But as you saw, it's only temporary. This . . . light . . . it isn't really mine, you see. And that's all that's different about me from when we met."

Cinderella's smile returned as she looked up to him again. "I'm sorry, Terra. I didn't mean to complain. I'm just so happy to finally be at the ball. I've danced here many nights, but never outside my bedroom. Tonight my dream came true."

She rested her head on his chest, still following the slow spin, her smile widening at the sight of everyone else enjoying their time as well. "And when it's over, I'll still have the most wonderful friends to go home to. That makes everything else worth it."

"Cinderella."

"Hm?" She lifted her head to look to him again.

"Your friends_—_they make you happy, don't they?" Terra asked.

"But of course," she laughed.

"Well they may be the cause of that happiness," he said, "but the source is still you. It's the same with the dress. It looks nice, but what's really radiant is the smile it brought out of you. That's what makes you shine. And a light as strong as yours is one most places don't know."

* * *

Mystic moogle tells me today is Terrella Day, so of course I had to get this one out now. :3 (And probably a good thing too_—_a deadline was just what I needed to pull me out of my writing slump.) I could seriously upload a oneshot with the full version of this. XD I got so carried away with it. But I'll be good and follow the rules.

I picked up the hints at the pairing the first time I went through Terra's story and have always enjoyed it, but writing this has _really_ brought the joy of this couple out of me. I might even have to add an eighth slot onto my favorite pairings list. :3 I really do feel that they gave Terra a small crush on Cinderella, but that he quickly got over it as she danced with the prince. Still, things might have been different if Terra had decided to ask her to dance instead. At least for a little while.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	16. You Won't Disappear

Prompt: (1) Meeting  
Pairing: RokuNami  
Requested By: Englishhedgehog13  
Setting: The Third Day  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 347

* * *

He was cute, she couldn't deny that. But that wasn't the reason Naminé observed the simulated world while DiƵ was away. Roxas was stuck in the digital realm, unable to tell the truth from reality—a situation Naminé knew about all too well. Why did cruel things happen to nice people? It wasn't fair to Roxas.

And Riku must have agreed, because he made no move to stop her when she halted the program and projected herself into the computer's Twilight Town.

An impulse. A split-second decision to pull Roxas out of this fake life and take him to a real one. But when she saw him up close, looked at his soft spikes of hair, peered into his wide eyes full of questions; when she herself was _inside_ this fake world and unable to tell the difference between the molecules that made his skin and the pixels that made up his friends'; that was when Naminé remembered that he—that _she_—wasn't real either.

And she knew if she took Roxas away, that would be unfair to the boy who actually existed.

So they stood, awkward together, Roxas murmuring what might have been the beginning of a sentence while he ran a hand through his bright hair and eyed the ground, and Naminé made another impulse.

She kissed him.

Maybe it was repressed feelings of her own, or the image of his irresistible smile in her mind, or just a desire to give this boy _something_ good and real and _tangible_ to remember with warm thoughts when he eventually arrived at his fate. She just wished it were possible for things to turn out better for him.

His mouth was still gaping open in shock when she pulled her lips away from his. She left him that way, back to the real Twilight Town, without an explanation. But she promised herself that if there was any way, _any_ possibility she could find to wake Sora without sacrificing Roxas, she would find it, and she would make it a reality.

Somehow.

* * *

Englishhedgehog13 had a very specific request for a rewrite of Naminé and Roxas' meeting scene, with Naminé being so overwhelmed by Roxas' good looks and niceness that she just had to kiss him, and him not objecting but being too shocked to reply before she leaves. It took me a while to figure out how to do this and still be true to her character, but I think I got it. :) Although RokuNami is far from my preferred pairings list, as my first super-specific request this was a lot of fun and definitely the greatest challenge so far, which of course is the entire point of this fic. :D

Once I had a story, it wasn't so bad writing-wise. I did go a hundred-ish words over, but it was pretty simple to cut down. :)

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	17. I'm Just Getting Started With You

Prompt: (85) Time  
Pairing: VanShi; can be read as gen  
Requested By: TheDarkestZero  
Setting: Elementary AU  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 350

* * *

Yesterday an older kid taught Vanitas how to pinch the end of a gum bubble so he could hold it outside of his mouth. Enthralled, the kindergartener gathered as many sticks as he could from his classmates to blow a bubble bigger than any he'd seen. When showing off and bragging about his accomplishment began to lose its fun, Vanitas decided to find a different use for the bubble.

Which was exactly why today he was watching Xion receive a multitude of compliment on her extremely short hair cut.

The teacher had warned everyone to be nice to her, which Vanitas knew was the only reason she was receiving so much attention over it. He eyed her dryly from his upside down position on the monkey bars as another boy dragged his friend over to voice his approval.

"Thanks a bunch, Lea!" Xion beamed. She'd been shy about accepting the compliments this morning, but by now she was starting to take pride in the new hairdo. Vanitas didn't see what the big deal was. Besides, she'd just been crying about the thought of getting it cut yesterday (which he'd thought was idiotic too since she always complained when he pulled on it).

"Yeah," Lea exclaimed, "doesn't it look great, Isa?"

Lea's friend gave the expectant girl a long stare before sighing, "It really doesn't."

Vanitas watch Xion's face fall, and while the two boys drifted off into their own argument she shuffled away, staring into the dirt. Vanitas let himself drop from the monkey bars, then lifted himself off the ground and ran up to her, blocking her path.

"Move, Vanitas," Xion said testily, but he didn't budge, and when she tried to walk around him he only shifted into her way again. "Vanitas I don't want to talk to you right now." She eyed his mouth warily before adding, "And you'd better not have anymore gum!"

Vanitas shoved her to the ground. "Why don't you just change schools?" he demanded, and then laughed and sprinted away.

* * *

For TheDarkestZero! I've never given this pairing a whole lot of thought, but I suppose it's always admirable when a crack pairing becomes extremely popular. This one definitely fits the bill. :)

I was surprised with how much I wrote for this one, considering the pairing doesn't hold much interest to me. I somehow still got pretty wrapped up in the story. XD The full version is sort of like four drabbles I guess, each from a different school group (elementary, middle, high, college), which explains the title and the prompt a bit better than this alone does. XP

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	18. Make Me Like I Was

Prompt: (24) Blank  
Pairing: Namora; can be read as gen  
Requested By: TheDarkestZero  
Setting: Castle Oblivion  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 345

* * *

In Sora's hands was a piece of blank paper, which he absentmindedly slowly ripped apart.

_"You have a choice."_

But he couldn't choose. Instead, she'd led them somewhere where he could think, to the room where the people in black cloaks had held her captive.

Naminé. That was the answer his heart screamed at him. If Sora had learned anything on his journey thus far, it was to listen to his heart.

But did that rule apply when his heart had been tampered with? Was it only because it was what his heart was now programmed to do?

The paper lay in shreds he couldn't break down further.

The familiar shape of his charm was now reduced to a skeleton of shells. How could this thing bring him good luck? He could probably snap it by rolling over in his sleep.

His finger began to trace over the scraps of paper he'd left, shifting them around and trying to fit the irregular pieces back together. His memories of this castle, his memories of the time in the memory worlds, and his memories of the islands—they all felt real to him. How could he tell the difference?

Sora didn't think he could put the paper back. There were too many pieces, some of which had been curled out of shape. And the finite scraps were too similar; even if he did restore the paper to a square, he would never be certain each piece was in exactly the right spot it belonged.

Sora turned his neck to look at the familiar face he'd known all his life. They were close. He knew her. He understood her. He could tell she wanted to say something to him, something she was holding back, and he could guess what it was.

In the memory worlds, people Sora reunited with had forgotten he existed. They were his friends, but he wasn't theirs. Nobody wants to be forgotten. Voice sullen but certain, he pushed out the words:

"Leave me as I am."

* * *

I love Namora. :3 Always have, sure I always will. Naturally I was pretty excited when TheDarkestZero requested it. But . . . maybe a little too excited . . .

_This_ was difficult to cut down. I think even more so than my Terrella one, though I am happier with these results. I went way overboard. To be honest, I would actually love to write a multi-chap beginning with this scenario one day, going through the remainder of the first saga and exploring how much this decision, if made differently, would change the entire series. But we'll see. That would be a pretty massive project.

\- Star-Shaped-χ


	19. My Own Heart Is Darkness

Prompt: (26) Fear  
Pairing: Eraqus/Xehanort  
Requested By: Sunset Yesterday  
Setting: Decades before BBS  
Rating: K  
Word Count: 350

* * *

Whatever mist that creature hit Eraqus with soon had him blind, deaf, and unable to help Xehanort continue the battle. He tried to remove the poison by focusing deep breaths to clear out his lungs, but as a standing target it wasn't long before claws slashed him. He held back the urge to run, knowing a cliff lay nearby, though in which direction he couldn't recall.

Another creature rammed him and his mind went blank as he fell backwards, but the ground hit at foot level. The creature holding him down flew off before getting another chance to attack, leaving Eraqus to surmise it had been knocked away by Xehanort. Human hands yanked him off the ground, disappearing back into the fray once he was standing steady. The other man didn't know what had happened to Eraqus. He called out an explanation, but had no way of knowing whether any sound escaped.

Holding his Keyblade near his heart as protection, Eraqus kicked his boots off and tried to distinguish the vibrations through the hard surface beneath him. One of the creatures had been airborne, he remembered; hopefully Xehanort had already vanquished that one.

The mess of combat was difficult to correlate without sight, but Eraqus managed well enough to survive, striking whenever he felt a nearby thud or current of air. He kept his feet grounded, still more than wary of the large drop onto protruding rocks. He knew Xehanort to be an acute observer and trusted he had figured out to stay away, lest Eraqus strike him by mistake.

When all feeling in the ground ceased, Eraqus stood stiff; though confident they'd won the battle, he knew better than not to be on guard. He flinched when the dirt shifted softly behind him, but forced himself to remain still. These creatures had lashed out, lacking the intelligence to sneak or the patience for the controlled traipse approaching.

He allowed his Keyblade to vanish once Xehanort's familiar touch reached his back, his lips brushing lightly against Eraqus' hair, fingers tracing heartening words over his shirt.

* * *

Icelandic requested something from Eraqus and Xehanort's training days, and I decided there would be no better time to upload it than now. Happy Birthday, Icelandic! : D

I'm not exactly happy with that ending line, but cutting it off there was the best way to make the word limit work. What I wouldn't give to extend that limit by just a hundred words. XD Ah, but that's all part of the challenge, isn't it?

\- Star-Shaped-χ


End file.
